


Radius

by Pennygirl612



Category: White Collar
Genre: Dialogue Heavy, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Heavy Angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2018-09-04
Packaged: 2019-07-07 00:45:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15897462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pennygirl612/pseuds/Pennygirl612
Summary: Neal goes outside his radius.  Of course, Peter finds him.





	Radius

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I don't own White Collar.

Radius

Throughout dinner, Peter kept checking his phone. She didn’t have to ask. It was Neal. It was always Neal. Perhaps she should have been jealous or angry that her husband was distracted on what was supposed to be their date night, but she wasn’t. Neal had been part of their lives long before she had ever met him. At first it had been an adjustment, but now she really couldn’t imagine their lives without him in it. 

At the play’s intermission Peter again checked his phone, a frown on his face. Without a word, she steered her husband through the crowd and towards the door. At his questioning look, Elizabeth only raised an eyebrow. His sheepish look in return told her all she needed to know. Neal had not moved. Neal was still in the same spot that he had been since Peter had arrived home to take her out. Elizabeth knew as did Peter that it was time to check on their boy.

By unspoken agreement, Elizabeth stayed a comfortable distance away while Peter approached Neal. Even if Elizabeth was the better person to deal with emotions and neither had any doubt that Neal would be in a precarious state when they found him, Peter was the expert at handling all things that was related to Neal. Making his way up the grassy hill, weaving in and out of headstones, Peter came to stand silently behind Neal who sat on the cold earth absently tracing a finger over the lettering of Kate’s name. 

Neal didn’t need to turn around to know who was standing there. Peter’s presence was larger than life and Neal had been in tune with the man ever since handing him the green sucker outside the bank all those years earlier. 

“Point four,” Neal finally stated breaking the silence. His voice was flat and seemingly uncaring.

“Point three eight if you want to be exact,” Peter responded calmly. 

“Three hours is a piss pour response time,” Neal answered; a hint of question in his voice.

Peter lowered his tall frame down to the ground; his shoulder resting slightly against Neal. He shivered once as his body adjusted to the chill from the grass. Knowing Neal had been sitting there for hours, Peter imagined he must be numb by now, perhaps numb in more ways than one if his masked expression was any indication. Peter leaned a little closer to Neal, just enough for the young man to feel the pressure of Peter’s weight and hopefully to feel the warmth being offered. 

“You’re right about that,” Peter said in agreement. Then he chuckled, “Given a three hour head start, the old Neal Caffrey would practically have been halfway around the world.”

“No point in running. You always find me.” Neal said defeat evident in his tone and body language. 

Peter shrugged and threw out what he hoped to be a life line. “It’s not so hard when you want to be found.”

Neal risked a sideways glance at Peter. “You don’t seem mad that I’m outside my radius.”

“Nah, but I am worried about you. We both are,” he said thumbing back to where Elizabeth was patiently standing. 

Peter waited for some type of response, and when it was obvious none appeared to be forthcoming, he changed tactics hoping to get at the heart of the matter. “This is the first time you have visited Kate’s grave.”

Neal’s body stiffened at the mention of Kate. “You never believed that she loved me. You never even gave her a chance, Peter.”

“I--”Peter faltered. He knew what he wanted to say but how could he say it in a way to make Neal understand? Peter wasn’t a con man so he decided to go with his strength; honesty being the best policy in his book. “I’m a protector by nature. I have this need or drive to take care of people. And when it’s someone I really care about, someone special to me, that protector instinct gets a little fierce and possessive.”

For the first time, Neal really looked at Peter, his eyes darkened in anger. “I didn’t need your protection from Kate!” Neal snapped. “I needed your help to find her and to keep her safe. Why did you hate her so much?”

“She used you,” Peter stated simply meeting Neal’s gaze without flinching. 

“You use me!” Neal pointed out heatedly.

Emphatically, Peter shook his head and countered. “No, we use each other. We both get something out of this partnership. You asked for this deal, remember? And don’t think I don’t know it was simply so that you could get out and look for Kate.”

Neal had the decency not to even try and deny Peter’s words. An uncomfortable silence fell for a long moment. Neal’s shoulder slumped down as he looked away. “It doesn’t matter now. In the end, you got exactly what you wanted.”

“And just what do you think I wanted?” Peter asked, curious, but also reluctant to hear the answer.

“Kate out of my life. No more distraction from the mission at hand. A ninety-fucking-percent clearance rate.”

Peter winced at the harshness of Neal’s words. This Neal was not going to be easy to deal with. “Neal,” Peter said gently, determined to remain calm and not be baited. When Neal didn’t respond, Peter tried again. “Neal, look at me please.” Gradually Neal raised his eyes. “Do you really think that?”

Neal shrugged, “Just a tool in your belt, Peter. At least Rice was honest about what I am.”

Peter took a deep breath to stave off the mounting frustration he was feeling. Neal’s words cut him deeper than he wanted to admit. Letting out a breath, Peter said as evenly as he could, “Our relationship isn’t easy, I’ll grant you that, but I’ve crossed lines for you that I never thought I would cross. So maybe you can cut me some damn slack and stop trying to pick a fight with me long enough to tell me what’s really going on inside that head of yours!”

Neal ignored Peter and continued his attack. “I’m outside my radius. Just send me back to prison, Peter.”

And that was the straw that broke Peter’s patience. Without warning, Peter grabbed a hold of Neal’s leg and yanked his pants up to reveal the tracker. Neal reacted in surprised to see its glowing green light. “Your radius is actually 2.4 miles.”

“Why?” Neal asked, bewildered, staring hard at the green light as if it would magically turn to the red he had been expecting.

“You’re not a fucking tool in my belt!” Peter snapped. Neal could be so fucking dense sometimes. 

“Why?” Neal demanded, refusing to be diverted; refusing to feel guilty about the things he had said to Peter even if they weren’t really how he felt. All he knew at that moment was that he needed an answer. He needed to know why Peter would do such a thing given what Peter thought about Kate. “We both know you hated her,” Neal insisted.

Peter stood up and dusted himself off. He refused to look at Neal when he answered, “But that doesn’t change the fact that you loved her.”


End file.
